by Anura Guruge
on April 28, 2024
Click images to ENLARGE.
With Judge Landya B. McCafferty
(who was incredibly nice & awfully impressive).
After 38 years as an alien (100% legal to boot) it takes time to sink in — especially in my old age. The kids think it is funny. Nobody, but nobody, has asked me of my nationality, directly, in that year. [Yes, I have to answer it if I apply for a credit card — which I do, occasionally, when I want to exploit all the 0% APR offers I get.]
I have voted in two elections — one Primary & the other local. In the Primary, to the surprise of many (& the disgust of my kids) I voted for a Republican! Ironic, BUT there is some symmetry. I only became a Democrat in 2004 (thanks to the younger ‘Shrub’ (who, to be honest, I vaguely like). Prior to that, for at least two decades I had been an ARDENT Conservative/Republican. I adored Regan. I so wanted the ‘Shrub’ to win in 2000. Then he totally disappointed me. My politics have changed over the year! Yes, I am still 70% a Democrat. But, I will NOT vote for Biden. That is a given. He has disappointed me too — & I used to be such a HUGE fan. But, I also have some major conservative tendencies. I am fiscally conservative, I WANT BORDER CONTROLS, I have some conservative leaning views when it comes to current social issue — BUT, I am 100% Pro-Choice. But, I can live with this. From what I can see, come November, I will NOT be voting for a President — but, I will vote down ballot (and many of those are likely to be Democrats). SMILE. It is NOT easy being I. SMILE.
So, during this last year:
>> I turned 70. Shortly afterwards, having waited 61 years to be told so, I was told I was Pre-Diabetic. NOT HAPPY. Doing my darndest to try & control it — though without much success. I have lost close to 25lbs ( 11Kg). I now weigh LESS than 140lbs (63.5 Kg, 10s). That is the LEAST I have weighed in all my adult life. I am delighted. I weighed myself this morning — & was quite SHOCKED! I am still losing weight. I am OK with that. Just surprised because I am eating like the glutton I am. Must be old age.
>> My youngest daughter (my youngest (of 4)) got her driver’s license in September 2023. [I think I got her a car.]
>> My youngest (i.e., daughter) turned 18 in March 2024. All my kids are grown up. Wow. I had to wait till 70 for that.
>> I had to call 911 twice — but fortunately nothing to do with us per se. One was to have a deer, trapped on a frozen lake, rescued & the other was when a truck caught fire across the road from us.
>> On April 8, 2024, I got to see the TOTALITY of the Solar Eclipse. That was cool.
>> I published 3 books. 2 in 2023, & one last week. SMILE. Kind of par for the course, i.e., 2 or 3 books a year. I think that was the 42nd as the SOLE-AUTHOR. I think I have 3 or 4 more as a joint author. I don’t count those.
So, those were the highlights. Wasn’t a bad year. Did a fair amount of trips. Met all my ambling goals — without missing a single. That makes me happy. So, I ambled in EXCESS of 6 MILLION STEPS as a citizen. Over 2,800 miles!
So, here is to the next year. Maybe this time next year, I will be more attuned to being a citizen.
It seems odd that you would have naturalized after such a long time without doing so.(My mother immigrated in 1957 and naturalized in 1970 so she could vote for my father in a Democratic county committee primary).
I regret your reluctance to vote for Biden,though I have my definite differences with him (centered on “LGBTQ” issues).The entire American political system is under threat from the obscenely overblown ego of Donald Trump and the credulity of his worshippers…the relentless polarization makes candidates who can appeal to the cautious center harder and harder to find.